The Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and the government Vice President Evangelos Venizelos are determined to implement procedures for a constitutional review, following the negotiations with the troika. Both Mr. Samaras and Mr. Venizelos believe that the review is necessary in order to change the political system and move into a new era.
The New Democracy MP Prokopis Pavlopoulos is expected to take over from Dimitris Avramopoulos as the president of the committee that is preparing a series of constitutional reform proposals. The list of proposals is expected to be complete by mid December, so that the relevant Reform Committee can be formed in Parliament.
Amongst the proposals that New Democracy is preparing are:
- The direct election of the President by the people
- A stable electoral system that will require extensive majorities in Parliament to change
- A more agile government cabinet, with three permanent deputy ministers with a five-year tenure, for Foreign Affairs, National Defense and the Budget
- Reforming legislation regarding the criminal liability of ministers
- Restricting parliamentary immunity
- Increasing transparency in the finances of political parties
- Abolishing a number of parliamentary benefits
- Founding a Constitutional Court
- Founding a special department in the State Council so that major cases involving public contracts and private investments can quickly be resolved
- Setting time limits to the tenure of the Prime Minister, Regional Governors, Mayors and union leaders
- Reducing the number of MPs
- Increasing the legislative and auditing duties of MPs
- Reevaluating article 16 so that private universities can operate
